There are 7 universal Micro expressions that are expressed on a persons face in a fraction of a second. These micro expressions can indicate what emotion a person might be feeling.

Have you ever watched the TV series called “Lie to me?” The main actor is able to tell when somebody is lying, or what emotions they may be displaying, by simply noticing their micro expressions.

We can notice these micro expressions on a person’s face even though they only last a fraction of a second. Micro expressions are involuntary expressions that occur unconsciously, even if the person tries to mask what they are feeling. The micro expressions are a reliable indicator of what the client might not be verbally saying or an emotion they are trying to hide.

History of micro expressions.

Emotions have different meanings and are a necessary guide throughout our lives, giving direction as to what to do and what not to do. Emotions also show us how other people are feeling. In times gone by, before man could speak, this information was necessary to know who was friend or foe. Today it is necessary to know another’s intentions in business, relationships and general contact with others. In 1872 Charles Darwin was the first to claim that facial expressions are universal and both humans and animals express them for the purpose of communication. Even animals have their signals or expressions to show their intentions. That’s why they act in different ways towards their enemies and their families. Think of a dog waging its tale or growling angrily.

In their 1966 study, Haggard and Isaacs outlined how they discovered these “micro-momentary” expressions while “scanning hours of motion picture films of psychotherapy, searching for indications of nonverbal communication between therapist and patient”. Since then, Ekman and Friesen have conducted breakthrough research on facial expressions confirming that there are 7 basic emotions. These emotions are happiness, contempt, surprise, anger, fear, sadness and disgust. They are visible through universal signals that have been seen on people’s faces all around the world. Paul Ekman co-developed the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) with Wallace V. Friesen in 1976, which is still used by psychologists, researchers and animators today. In fact the show Lie to me is based on Eckman’s work.

Why learn micro expressions?

Learning how to spot micro expressions can have many benefits: • You will Increase your Emotional Intelligence. • Being able to read micro expressions could increase sales. • Allow you to predict your success or failure. • Know what your partner, family, client might be feeling. • Notice if somebody might be trying to hide something. • Help with hiring staff and much more.

In fact if you work with people, then being able to recognize micro expressions will greatly benefit you. This knowledge will help coaches get to an issue faster with their clients. Trainers or speakers are able to read the expectations of their audience and adjust the content of their training accordingly. Sales people can recognize their clients’ needs or objections better. Negotiators are able to find common ground and reach agreements easier. Police, advocates and judges will detect lies with more accuracy.

We have studied micro expressions and body language with numerous leaders in the field to bring a comprehensive training to you. It is a natural add on to the NLP training and life coaching courses already delivered by Coaching with NLP.

If you would like to increase your emotional intelligence, become much more aware of what other people might be feeling or possibly tell if someone is lying, then do this easy on line micro expression training.

For more information about micro expressions, please feel free to contact us.